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Rufus (Kim Possible)
Rufus is a fictional character from the hit Fox animated television series Kim Possible, voiced by Nancy Cartwright. He is a naked mole rat, and pet of Ron Stoppable. Rufus has appeared in various media relating to Kim Possible – including video games, films, commercials and comic books – and has inspired an entire line of merchandise. Personality and skills Ron and Rufus are inseparable. Rufus can always be found riding in Ron's pocket. Rufus has similar interests and personality traits as Ron (such as a love of Bueno Nacho and video games) and often mimics Ron's actions, emotions, and facial expressions. Despite being a rodent, Rufus is actually very competent and level-headed, and often comes to the rescue of Kim and Ron when they're in a pinch. He has very good technical skills, and Ron often refers to him to fix broken appliances. He also has extremely strong teeth, and can even chew through some metals. He's even an accomplished martial artist, and has Mystical Monkey Powers, like Ron; in fact, he can control them even better than him (likely his using these powers to boost his own abilities are likely how he's able to do some impossible things like chew through metal). However, like all rodents, Rufus is quick to run when in the presence of cats, as proven when Debutante, Camille Leon's pet cat, a Sphynx (a breed of hairless cat), was first shown to Team Possible. Unfortunately for Rufus, Debutante appears to have romantic intentions toward him, and pursues him frequently. In Chasing Rufus he and Debutante are stranded by their masters in Greece and Rufus invites Debutante to come with him to find them (he felt bad for her). Initaly he rejects her advances but as time goes on he seems to start to return her feelings. After they return to Go City on a cruise ship (on which they have a lot of fun with each other) they both start crying when they realize that they are going to part indicating that Rufus may now return her romantic feelings towards him. Rufus appears to have better eyesight, greater intelligence and temperature tolerance, and perhaps a longer lifespan, than real-world naked mole rats. He has also been shown as feeling pain, a trait which naked mole rats lack (he may simply be imitating Ron's reactions). He made the design for Kim Possible's new mission clothes in season 4 (stole, actually). He has also shown on many occasions to have an abnormally large appetite, eating more than most full grown humans, which could go a long way towards explaining why Ron is always strapped for cash. Role in the show Rufus is the only animal on the show to display characteristics of anthropomorphism and sapience. Much like Scooby-Doo, Rufus is marginally capable of human speech (able to utter a couple of words), but mostly talks in high-pitched rodent jabber. Only Ron and, from time to time, Kim actually seem to understand him when he speaks (apparently, Ron has the ability to communicate with animals, but is somewhat impaired by the fact he's afraid of most of them. This is supported by the fact that he is able to communicate with Roachie, the giant roach that Kim and Ron meet in one of their missions). Rufus is often used as a deus ex machina when the characters are in trouble, an ability referred to as the "Rufus Factor" by Dr. Director. Rufus even has his own song: "The Naked Mole Rap" (though most of the vocals are by Ron). However, there is another song that means even more to him, "Rock-a-bye Rufus". Essentially, it's a variation of the song "Rock-a-bye Baby" with the word "baby" replaced with "Rufus". But it has the power to instantly soothe Rufus and put him to sleep whenever he hears it. In "Adventures in Rufus-Sitting", both Ron and Kim can be heard singing it. Character history Rufus is Ron's pet because when Ron was 12, his parents told him he could finally have a pet--but no fur, because of his Dad's allergies to animal dander (revealed in A Sitch in Time). Ron purchased his rodent friend at Smarty Mart (of course, actual mole rats are blind subterranean creatures and unlikely to be available in a commercial pet store). Ron chose to name him Rufus after an imaginary friend he had in pre-K (revealed in A Sitch in Time). Ron is fiercely dedicated to Rufus' health and well-being. Reception Rufus has received both popular and critical acclaim. Rob Owen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette crowned Rufus the series' breakout star. In 2006, Rufus was named thirteenth on IGN's "Top 25 Greatest Cartoon Animals". Merchandising Four children's books, entitled Rufus's Book of Animals, Rufus's Counting Book, Rufus's Book of Colors and Shapes and Rufus's Alphabet Book were released on September 12, 2003. Other merchandise includes dolls, posters, figurines, jigsaw puzzles, and T-shirts. Rufus has appeared in commercials for Burger King, Kit-Kat, Domino's Pizza and Ramada Inn. Alongside the television series, Rufus regularly appears in issues of the Kim Possible comics, which were first published on November 29, 1993 and are still issued monthly.Category:Characters